European Parliament honors Polish Jewish leader

WARSAW, Poland (JTA) — Alicja Kobus, the president of the Jewish Community of Poznan, was recognized by the European Parliament with its annual European Citizens’ Prize.

The prize has been given out since 2008 for promoting mutual understanding and closer cooperation of European citizens.

Kobus is a social activist who works for dialogue, tolerance and cooperation among ethnic and religious groups. She also promotes Jewish culture in Poland, as well as Polish and European culture in Israel, and each year organizes a Jewish festival in Poznan.

The winners will receive their awards in their home countries as well as participate in a joint ceremony in Brussels in October.

Poznan, a city of approximately 550,000 in western Poland, now has about 60 Jews and one functioning synagogue. Its approximately 1,500 Jews at the dawn of World War II were mostly eradicated by the Nazis.